A new product review video has been added to the YouTube channel. In this video, I check out Scenescapes 6mm Tufts and demo how to apply them to a base.
Showing posts with label Product Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Product Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Episode 33 - Codex Orks Part One
Episode 33 - Codex Orks Part One
Sponsored by Heroes Haven Comics and Games & A Gathering of Might
In this episode, the crew talks about the new Tyranid Dimachaeron, the Michigan GT this October, and the first part of their Codex Orks review.
Be warned, the grots were working the soundboard and this episode is why John G. is buying a pop filter for the next one.
Download: Direct Download | iTunes | RSS
Episode Timeline
00:00:17 Sponsors (Heroes Haven Comics & Games)
00:01:15 Michigan GT
00:19:00 Dimachaeron Review
00:32:23 Marshaling the Host
00:56:00 Codex Orks - Part One
What Are You Drinking
Tucher Dunkles Hefe Beizen - 4+ Armour Save (Fair)
The Show Email - equinox999equinox@yahoo.com
Show Links
Sponsors
A Gathering of Might: Website | Facebook
Wargamma: Website | Facebook
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The Roaming Gamer: Battleground Gaming and Hobbies
One of the pleasures of my job is that I get to travel all over the United States. During my travels, I get to visit various game stores and get a chance to see how folks approach the hobby in different parts of the world. I also get to find those gems that are worth checking out just to pick-up something new or have a fun chat. This month I review Battleground Gaming and Hobbies.
During a recent trip to Boston, I had a chance to visit the Attleboro store During a recent trip to Boston, I had a chance to visit the Battlegrounds store located in Attleboro, MA. The store was a bit difficult to locate, must being from the midwest, most of the Boston area can be a pain at time. When I arrived at the store, there were a few guys playing card games and a single clerk helping a customer at the desk. The clerk was courteous and greeted me upon arrival, but didn't really get a chance to interact with me as he was working with another customer.
Strolling through the store, I found it to be well stocked with GW products. Everything was neatly organized and priced at the standard MSRP. The store also stocked many different non-GW products, including Privateer Press and Magic. There was also a board gaming and role-playing section.
The majority of the space in the store was dedicated to gaming. There were a handful of miniature gaming tables, each covered in very nice looking terrain. There was also tables dedicated to the playing of card and role-playing games. Overall, the gaming space was decent, but I could see it becoming easily packed on days when a decent crowd shows up.
Overall, I thought Battleground was a nice gaming store, but not a memorable one. As a non-local, I need something to motivate me to visit a store while in town, and I did not find it with this place. The gaming tables were nice, but may feel crowded during peek hours. Also with GW products at MSRP, there are many other options available to me when I am looking to add something new to my collection.
Roaming Gamer Score: 3 (5 - Outstanding, 1 - Crapfest)
During a recent trip to Boston, I had a chance to visit the Attleboro store During a recent trip to Boston, I had a chance to visit the Battlegrounds store located in Attleboro, MA. The store was a bit difficult to locate, must being from the midwest, most of the Boston area can be a pain at time. When I arrived at the store, there were a few guys playing card games and a single clerk helping a customer at the desk. The clerk was courteous and greeted me upon arrival, but didn't really get a chance to interact with me as he was working with another customer.
Strolling through the store, I found it to be well stocked with GW products. Everything was neatly organized and priced at the standard MSRP. The store also stocked many different non-GW products, including Privateer Press and Magic. There was also a board gaming and role-playing section.
The majority of the space in the store was dedicated to gaming. There were a handful of miniature gaming tables, each covered in very nice looking terrain. There was also tables dedicated to the playing of card and role-playing games. Overall, the gaming space was decent, but I could see it becoming easily packed on days when a decent crowd shows up.
Overall, I thought Battleground was a nice gaming store, but not a memorable one. As a non-local, I need something to motivate me to visit a store while in town, and I did not find it with this place. The gaming tables were nice, but may feel crowded during peek hours. Also with GW products at MSRP, there are many other options available to me when I am looking to add something new to my collection.
Roaming Gamer Score: 3 (5 - Outstanding, 1 - Crapfest)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Buyers Beware: Dragonfire Laser Crafts
Typically I don't like to post these types of threads, but I have reached a point with a company that I feel I need to take my complaints to blog-o-sphere in an effort to warn others. The company in question is Dragonfire Laser Crafts out of Indiana. They do a wide range of laser engraved products including laser engraved tokens.
On Feb 19th, I placed an order with them for 60 engraved wooden tokens for Invasion Kenosha III. Along with the purchase, I asked if I they could use the image from the website. On Feb 22, I heard back from James Murphy stating that they could not use the image online and if I could provide another image that was in a line form. The same day, I responded with an B&W image and asked if this image was still to complex. Having not received a response, I created a simple image and emailed it to Mr. Murphy on Feb 25th.
On March 23rd, I had not heard anything, so I wrote James asking for a status update. After 6 days, I still had not heard anything, so I attempted to use the other email listed on their site. At the same time, I began look for phone numbers to call. The ones I found listed were all disconnected. At this point, I opened a complaint with Paypal.
On March 31st, I heard back from James. He stated in his email that they did not like the quality of the images and what I wanted to do. Upon review, the images were fine in my opinion and I asked for them to be used. On 4/5, I heard back from James that it wouldn't be a problem. That was the last time I have heard from Dragonfire Laser Crafts. Since that time, numerous emails by me have been ignored and I have failed to find a working phone number for the company. As of last week, I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in an effort to resolve this problem and to receive a refund. Note: I failed to renew the complaint with Paypal in time, so I burned myself in that regard.
I don't have an issue with stuff getting delayed, I placed the order almost six months from Invasion. My problem is that Dragonfire Laser Crafts has continually failed to keep me updated on the status of my order and has only responded when I have escalated my concerns to a 3rd party. Why they would think this is an acceptable business practice is beyond me, but it has forced me to look elsewhere to find a replacement keep sake for Invasion.
If anyone has any suggestions on another company that does affordable custom tokens or similar and is very dependable, please let me know.
Update: It would appear that I am not the only person having problems recently with Dragonfire Laser Crafts. Check out a couple of recent complaints filed on Amazon.
On Feb 19th, I placed an order with them for 60 engraved wooden tokens for Invasion Kenosha III. Along with the purchase, I asked if I they could use the image from the website. On Feb 22, I heard back from James Murphy stating that they could not use the image online and if I could provide another image that was in a line form. The same day, I responded with an B&W image and asked if this image was still to complex. Having not received a response, I created a simple image and emailed it to Mr. Murphy on Feb 25th.
On March 23rd, I had not heard anything, so I wrote James asking for a status update. After 6 days, I still had not heard anything, so I attempted to use the other email listed on their site. At the same time, I began look for phone numbers to call. The ones I found listed were all disconnected. At this point, I opened a complaint with Paypal.
On March 31st, I heard back from James. He stated in his email that they did not like the quality of the images and what I wanted to do. Upon review, the images were fine in my opinion and I asked for them to be used. On 4/5, I heard back from James that it wouldn't be a problem. That was the last time I have heard from Dragonfire Laser Crafts. Since that time, numerous emails by me have been ignored and I have failed to find a working phone number for the company. As of last week, I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in an effort to resolve this problem and to receive a refund. Note: I failed to renew the complaint with Paypal in time, so I burned myself in that regard.
I don't have an issue with stuff getting delayed, I placed the order almost six months from Invasion. My problem is that Dragonfire Laser Crafts has continually failed to keep me updated on the status of my order and has only responded when I have escalated my concerns to a 3rd party. Why they would think this is an acceptable business practice is beyond me, but it has forced me to look elsewhere to find a replacement keep sake for Invasion.
If anyone has any suggestions on another company that does affordable custom tokens or similar and is very dependable, please let me know.
Update: It would appear that I am not the only person having problems recently with Dragonfire Laser Crafts. Check out a couple of recent complaints filed on Amazon.
Friday, April 15, 2011
On the Bench: Dragon Forge Broken Wasteland Bases (Product Review)
One of the first things that I noticed about the bases was the quality of the casting and the type of resin used for them. There are a lot of companies that are doing resin bases, and not all of them are of the same level of quality as what Dragon Forge provided. I like that they use a higher quality resin and this goes a long way to justify the $1.00 per base cost.
When looking at the selection of bases available, I decided to go with the Broken Wasteland series. The reason I selected these was that I liked the look of the grainy desert areas when contrasted with the cracked tile sections of each base. I also selected them as I am painting the bases first and deciding what to mount on them later. I do like the Lost Empires series, but may save them for a future project. Also, the selection of square bases is much smaller and the ones available just are not as interesting or impressive as those offered by Back-2-Base-IX or Microart Studios.
I began the process of preparing the base by cleaning the small amount of flash on the bases. After I cleaned them, I gave each base a wash with warm water and a drop of dish soap. Once the bases were dry, I gave them a coat of white primer (Army Painter brand) and allowed them to dry overnight.
To start the process of painting them, I applied a diluted coat of Snakebite Brown to the gravel areas of the bases. After the layer dried, I applied another layer to the same areas to assure that I had a reasonable amount of coverage. While the one section was drying, I also applied a coat of Desert Brown to the skull on the one base.
The next layer was to the cracked tile. I used a thinned layer of Desert Sand which was applied in two coats to make sure I had covered all of the white primer.
With the base coating finished, I applied a thinned wash of GW Sepia to the bases (excluding the skull on the one base). Once the wash dried, I went back with a slightly thicker wash of Sepia that was applied to the deeper sections of each base and to spots that were bleeding the base coat.
Once the washes were dry, I applied the first layer of paint to the cracked tile sections of the base. I used a 50/50 mix of Desert Sand and Bleached Bone that was thinned. Next, I applied a layer another layer of the same mix with a little more Bleach Bone added to it. This was followed by another layer that was an additional thinning of prior mix with Bleached Bone.
I continued the process of highlighting the cracked areas by using a thinned layer of Bleached Bone. With each additional layer, I added Dead White and thinner to the mix.
When it came to the sandy sections of each base, I started with a drybrush of Snakebite Brown. This was followed by a drybrush of Vomit Brown. I finished with a soft drybrush of Bleached Bone.
The skull on the one base was painted using a modified version of the approach I use for my skeletons. I gave the model a thinned wash of Sepia, followed by a wash of Devan Mud in the deeper sections of the skull. Once the washes were dry, I layered it with Desert Brown that was mixed with Bleached Bone and Skull White.
When it came to the rim of the base, I used a couple of thinned layers of Khemri Brown.
The last step was to add a small clump of static grass to each base. I decided to do this to add a little contrast to the painted colors.
In conclusion, my overall opinion of Dragon Forge’s Broken Wasteland series of resin bases is very high. The quality of resin in casting is well worth the $1.00 per base price. I also found the assortment of bases diverse enough to make each base feel unique while still keeping with the overall theme of the series. I also liked that the bases were designed such that I could add a little bit of static grass to make the bases standout a bit more.
When looking at the selection of bases available, I decided to go with the Broken Wasteland series. The reason I selected these was that I liked the look of the grainy desert areas when contrasted with the cracked tile sections of each base. I also selected them as I am painting the bases first and deciding what to mount on them later. I do like the Lost Empires series, but may save them for a future project. Also, the selection of square bases is much smaller and the ones available just are not as interesting or impressive as those offered by Back-2-Base-IX or Microart Studios.
I began the process of preparing the base by cleaning the small amount of flash on the bases. After I cleaned them, I gave each base a wash with warm water and a drop of dish soap. Once the bases were dry, I gave them a coat of white primer (Army Painter brand) and allowed them to dry overnight.
To start the process of painting them, I applied a diluted coat of Snakebite Brown to the gravel areas of the bases. After the layer dried, I applied another layer to the same areas to assure that I had a reasonable amount of coverage. While the one section was drying, I also applied a coat of Desert Brown to the skull on the one base.
The next layer was to the cracked tile. I used a thinned layer of Desert Sand which was applied in two coats to make sure I had covered all of the white primer.
With the base coating finished, I applied a thinned wash of GW Sepia to the bases (excluding the skull on the one base). Once the wash dried, I went back with a slightly thicker wash of Sepia that was applied to the deeper sections of each base and to spots that were bleeding the base coat.
Once the washes were dry, I applied the first layer of paint to the cracked tile sections of the base. I used a 50/50 mix of Desert Sand and Bleached Bone that was thinned. Next, I applied a layer another layer of the same mix with a little more Bleach Bone added to it. This was followed by another layer that was an additional thinning of prior mix with Bleached Bone.
I continued the process of highlighting the cracked areas by using a thinned layer of Bleached Bone. With each additional layer, I added Dead White and thinner to the mix.
When it came to the sandy sections of each base, I started with a drybrush of Snakebite Brown. This was followed by a drybrush of Vomit Brown. I finished with a soft drybrush of Bleached Bone.
The skull on the one base was painted using a modified version of the approach I use for my skeletons. I gave the model a thinned wash of Sepia, followed by a wash of Devan Mud in the deeper sections of the skull. Once the washes were dry, I layered it with Desert Brown that was mixed with Bleached Bone and Skull White.
When it came to the rim of the base, I used a couple of thinned layers of Khemri Brown.
The last step was to add a small clump of static grass to each base. I decided to do this to add a little contrast to the painted colors.
In conclusion, my overall opinion of Dragon Forge’s Broken Wasteland series of resin bases is very high. The quality of resin in casting is well worth the $1.00 per base price. I also found the assortment of bases diverse enough to make each base feel unique while still keeping with the overall theme of the series. I also liked that the bases were designed such that I could add a little bit of static grass to make the bases standout a bit more.
Friday, February 4, 2011
On the Bench: Army Painter Winter Turf Review
Since I have first seen this product at my FLG, I have been debating on whether or not I wanted to try it. Recently, I finally broke and decided to try using it with the intention of writing a short review. In general, I really love the Army Painter line of products. In a future review, I will discuss my thoughts on their line of primers, but for now, I want to focus on their Battlefield Winter Turf scenery kit.
The purpose of the Battlefield kits is to provide bases with some larger clumps of grass without going thru the hassle of trying to do them from scratch. At ~$5.00 for a blister’s worth of the turf, the product is well priced for folks looking to upgrade the look of their scenic bases. Each blister contains enough turf in various sizes to cover a reasonable size regiment of WFB or 40K bases. On the back of the packaging, instructions on how to use the product are included.
The actual application of the turf is a snap and works as advertised. First, find the piece of turf that you want to use from the blister.
Second, place a small drop of Elmer’s glue where you want to stick the turf.
Third, remove the piece of turf from the blister using a pair of pliers.
Finally, place the piece of turf firmly, but not hard, onto the glue drop.
Overall, I found Army Painter’s Battlefield Winter Turf to be a great option for adding a little something extra to your bases. They make different versions of the turf product, including ones colored for a jungle or swamp. The process of adding the turf is simple and effective, so it is a great option for decorating multiple bases in a single sit-down. My only negative is that I would like to see Army Painter bundle the product as a part of a complete basing kit. They may already do this, but I have not seen such a kit at my FLG, so I am assuming for now it is not available.
The purpose of the Battlefield kits is to provide bases with some larger clumps of grass without going thru the hassle of trying to do them from scratch. At ~$5.00 for a blister’s worth of the turf, the product is well priced for folks looking to upgrade the look of their scenic bases. Each blister contains enough turf in various sizes to cover a reasonable size regiment of WFB or 40K bases. On the back of the packaging, instructions on how to use the product are included.
The actual application of the turf is a snap and works as advertised. First, find the piece of turf that you want to use from the blister.
Second, place a small drop of Elmer’s glue where you want to stick the turf.
Third, remove the piece of turf from the blister using a pair of pliers.
Finally, place the piece of turf firmly, but not hard, onto the glue drop.
Overall, I found Army Painter’s Battlefield Winter Turf to be a great option for adding a little something extra to your bases. They make different versions of the turf product, including ones colored for a jungle or swamp. The process of adding the turf is simple and effective, so it is a great option for decorating multiple bases in a single sit-down. My only negative is that I would like to see Army Painter bundle the product as a part of a complete basing kit. They may already do this, but I have not seen such a kit at my FLG, so I am assuming for now it is not available.
Monday, July 27, 2009
On the Bench: Cinematic Effects
While at the local FLG getting plastic glue and bases, I decided to purchase a blister of cinematic effects for the imperial guard. Cinematic Effects, produced by Armorcast, are bitz that can be used to give the appearance of a weapon firing. Armorcast makes cinematic effects for various types of weapons like flamers and plasma cannons. It is a very cool concept that allows the average hobbyist to add a little pop to their models without having to be an expert when it comes to converting.
The blister I decided to purchase was the medium laser muzzle flash (ACFX009). I decided upon it because I thought it would be cool to model some of my guardsmen as if they were in a firing line. It is a simple concept, but one I would have found difficult to do if I attempted it using only greenstuff.
When actually using this bitz, the first challenge I noticed with them was that since they are pewter, they may create a weight issue when combined with plastic models. Fortunately for me, I use George Bases which are solid wood, so they are slightly heavier. Along these same lines, the design of the end which is supposed to attach to barrel seems upon first glance to require pinning if I am going to expect it to stay on. This end does appear to have a pin built into it, but the length of the pin seems to vary with each individual casting, so I am approaching the use of the muzzle flash as if I need to add my own pin.
The actual process of pinning the weapon and effect was not difficult, but it does take a steady hand. I used a 1 mm drill bit, which was just a little larger than what would have been optimal. For the actual pin, I used 0.9 plastic rod, which fitted snuggly into the barrel and cinematic effect.
With the model assembled, I proceeded to paint it with the exception of the cinematic effect.
When it came to the painting of the cinematic effect, I felt that I needed to do a little homework on what others have done with them. I honestly didn’t find the Armorcast site very helpful when it came to actually painting their products unless I was doing the hamster rockets. I did however find some great inspiration on the Painted Dragon website. A poster by the name of Bulldog did some amazing work adding the effects to his marines.
Upon studying Bulldog’s work, I decided I would go with a blue scheme. The base color for the scheme was going to be Vallejo’s electric blue. Shading and highlighting would be based on mixing skull white or magic blue with the base. I also decided that I would try some glazing on the effect using the methods Midloo posted on his outstanding blog.
The end result was satisfactory, but lacked the bang I was hoping for once the model was completed. I think any lack of “pop” is purely based on my abilities as a painter and not the actual cinematic effect. I would however state that I feel that the effects do need a little bit of skill when it comes to painting them if one hopes to get the most out of them. They are simple in design, but sometimes such simple modeling requires skillful painting inorder to bring out the most in a model.
In conclusion, I am really impressed with Cinematic Effects. I feel Armorcast has really hit upon a great idea with them and look forward to adding more of the line to my models. The biggest challenges when using these products is going to be mounting them securely and painting them to get their full effect. However for the cost and “wow” factor, I can’t think of a cooler product than these if one is looking for something to take standard models and make them stand out.
The blister I decided to purchase was the medium laser muzzle flash (ACFX009). I decided upon it because I thought it would be cool to model some of my guardsmen as if they were in a firing line. It is a simple concept, but one I would have found difficult to do if I attempted it using only greenstuff.
When actually using this bitz, the first challenge I noticed with them was that since they are pewter, they may create a weight issue when combined with plastic models. Fortunately for me, I use George Bases which are solid wood, so they are slightly heavier. Along these same lines, the design of the end which is supposed to attach to barrel seems upon first glance to require pinning if I am going to expect it to stay on. This end does appear to have a pin built into it, but the length of the pin seems to vary with each individual casting, so I am approaching the use of the muzzle flash as if I need to add my own pin.
The actual process of pinning the weapon and effect was not difficult, but it does take a steady hand. I used a 1 mm drill bit, which was just a little larger than what would have been optimal. For the actual pin, I used 0.9 plastic rod, which fitted snuggly into the barrel and cinematic effect.
With the model assembled, I proceeded to paint it with the exception of the cinematic effect.
When it came to the painting of the cinematic effect, I felt that I needed to do a little homework on what others have done with them. I honestly didn’t find the Armorcast site very helpful when it came to actually painting their products unless I was doing the hamster rockets. I did however find some great inspiration on the Painted Dragon website. A poster by the name of Bulldog did some amazing work adding the effects to his marines.
Upon studying Bulldog’s work, I decided I would go with a blue scheme. The base color for the scheme was going to be Vallejo’s electric blue. Shading and highlighting would be based on mixing skull white or magic blue with the base. I also decided that I would try some glazing on the effect using the methods Midloo posted on his outstanding blog.
The end result was satisfactory, but lacked the bang I was hoping for once the model was completed. I think any lack of “pop” is purely based on my abilities as a painter and not the actual cinematic effect. I would however state that I feel that the effects do need a little bit of skill when it comes to painting them if one hopes to get the most out of them. They are simple in design, but sometimes such simple modeling requires skillful painting inorder to bring out the most in a model.
In conclusion, I am really impressed with Cinematic Effects. I feel Armorcast has really hit upon a great idea with them and look forward to adding more of the line to my models. The biggest challenges when using these products is going to be mounting them securely and painting them to get their full effect. However for the cost and “wow” factor, I can’t think of a cooler product than these if one is looking for something to take standard models and make them stand out.
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